Jobs, jobs, jobs.
Since the start of our nation’s “Great Recession,” employment indicators have been on the minds of hiring managers, business owners and job seekers throughout Connecticut.
And with good reason:
- According to a recent usatoday.com story, just under half of the 8.8 million U.S. jobs lost during the recession have been recovered during the last two and a half years.
- Although Connecticut’s recovery falls statistically “in the middle of the pack,” the state’s economy might need until 2018 to recover all of the jobs it lost.
- Connecticut lost 4,000 jobs between April and June, representing 1/10th of all jobs it has recovered to date.
So is there a silver lining in this grim economic picture? Absolutely – just look at the staffing industry.
Staffing was hard-hit by the recession, like most other industries. After hitting a peak of nearly 2.7 million workers in 2006, the temporary help industry lost more than a third of its employees during the Great Recession. But since then, our industry has regained nearly 87 percent of its workers.
While companies continue to struggle to hire the way they did pre-recession, the staffing industry has almost completely regained its workers – and continues to add them steadily. Though the thought of temporary job growth may sound depressing (What good is a comeback that’s only going to last a few months?) on the surface, a boost in temporary help can actually be a good thing.
As I’ve said before, temporary employment is a coincident employment indicator as our country emerges from a recession. Stated simply, a sustained upswing in temporary staffing is a promising sign for our economy. Why? Many companies use temporary staffing as a means to quickly adjust their operations to meet fluctuating demands for their products and services. This often presages an uptick in direct hiring.
Even once the economy gathers more momentum, the staffing industry should continue to remain robust. Temporary workers are now a permanent part of the workforce and will continue to be an important cost-controlling component in strategic workforce management.
For more information on how temporary workers are impacting the recovery, read the full U.S. News article. And if, like many others in Connecticut, your company is beginning to grow once again, A.R. Mazzotta is ready to help. With staffing offices in Westbrook, Wallingford and Middletown CT, we have the reach, network and resources to quickly deliver the talented workers your business needs.